Surgical systems often require the configuration of a large and complex set of parameters and settings, typically specific settings requested or frequently employed by individuals such as surgeons. One medical system employing individual settings is a phacoemulsification system for ophthalmic surgery, used to remove the lens of an eye damaged by cataract. FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a phacoemulsification system known in the art. The system 100 may include a control unit 102 and a handpiece 104 operably coupled together. As shown in FIG. 2, the handpiece 104 may include a needle 106 for insertion into an eye E and a vibrating unit 108 configured to ultrasonically vibrate the needle 106. The vibrating unit 108, which may include, e.g., a piezoelectric crystal, vibrates the needle 106 according to one or more parameters, such as frequency, pulse width, shape, size, duty cycle, amplitude, and so on.
It is common for each surgeon to use his or her own customized set(s) of parameters particular to the system, and it is not uncommon for surgeons to conduct surgical procedures at different locations. However, with current surgical systems, setting up a surgeon's customized set of parameters in every system the surgeon works with can be difficult, costly, and cumbersome. Accordingly, improved systems and methods for managing and distributing the surgeon's customized settings in multiple medical devices or systems such as phacoemulsification systems are desirable.